Powder puff, and similar article, and means and method of making the same



1943. J. E VALENTINE ET AL 2,337,695

POWDER PUFF AND SIMILAR ARTICLE, AND MEANS AND METH D OF AME O MAKINGTHE S iled June 25, 1941 llll Patented Dec. 28, 1943 POWDER PUFF, ANDSllVIILAR ARTICLE, AND lgIEAN S AND METHOD OF MAKING THE Joseph E.Valentine, Plainfield, N. J., and Rafael J. Peiia, New York, N. Y.,assignors, by mesne assignments, to Oxzyn Company, Clifton, N. J., acorporation of New Jersey Application June 23, 1941, Serial No. 399,370

4 Claims.

This invention relates to powder puffs and similar articles, and to themeans and method of making the same, and has particular adaptability toarticles having the general characteristics of powder-puffs, sachetcontainers and the like, which employ a top or closure member over-lyingthe back of the powder-applying or other face member.

In the manufacture of powder puffs and similar articles variousconstructions and methods have been employed endeavoring to obtain apliable container wherein the face or powder-applying surface is notonly situated at one extensive area thereof (for convenience referred toherein as the face) but to also provide a peripheral edge which roundsfrom the front to back of the article with presentation of acontinuation of the powder-applying or other face material. Diflicultiesof manufacture have been encountered in the endeavor and a satisfactoryarticle at reasonable cost has heretofore not been made.

It has generally been found necessary to provide at least two parts inthe making of articles having the general characteristics of powderpuffs, and machine stitch them wholly or partly together but leave anopening either where stitched or elsewhere for enabling the article tobe turned inside-out. Where the opening is left at the seam beingstitched, it becomes necessary to complete the stitching by hand afterthe article has been turned, which not only introduces expensive handwork on the article, but also exterior stitching which spoils theuniformity of appearance both with respect to smooth materials such assilk, rayon, cotton, etc., and with respect to fuzzy materials, of whichlambs-wool, pile fabric including velour, velvet and the like areexamples, and as to such fuzzy materials tends to bind in some of theends of the fuzzy part thereof.

Another method of manufacture heretofore employed completes theperipheral machine stitching all the way around, but an opening isprovided in the middle of the top member through which the article canbe turned, that opening being subsequently covered by a top closuremember. This mode of manufacture not only requires three pieces ofmaterial with additional time consumption of handling, assemblying andstitching, but the further operation of applying and securing the topclosure member centrally, neatly and permanently over the openmg.

In both of the prior art methods above related, the final product stillhas the undesirable presence of a peripheral seam, and no matter howcarefully the work is done, some of the pile or wool or other fuzzy endsgets caught between the materials at the seam, thu turning inwardinstead of standing outward as desired. All articles made by thesemethods have to be brushed at the seams to release, as much as possible,the tumed-in ends of the pile or wool, this operation adding Veryconsiderably to the cost of manufacture. From a sales standpoint, thepresence of the peripheral seam renders the article less attractive to apurchaser, as the seam gives the appearance of imperfection. From a usestandpoint, particularly as a puff, the presence of the seam isobjectionable as the doubled stitched material at the periphery, eventhough inside the article, presents a stiffness and harshness whenapplied to tender or sensitive parts of the anatomy, such as a lady'face, which is not only disagreeable but tends to prevent even spreadingof the powder, rouge and so forth, since the stiifened part wipes morestrongly than the softer parts of the article.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a rounded edgeDuff-like article overcoming the deficiencies of prior art articles oflike nature in the several respects above enumerated; to construct apuff-like article of only two parts and yet present a rounded edge fromface to top thereof; to avoid stitching, reduce hand work, and obtain anarticle with a thick soft feeling when held and when applied; to providea means and method of manufacture which will produce the articlessymmetrically shaped and assembled; to provide a means and method whichwill produce the articles economically and rapidly; to enable powder,padding, or other filler to be incorporated within the article duringmanufacture; to secure simplicity of construction of artlcle, of meansfor making the same and in the steps of method utilized in manufacturethereof and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought outin the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals ofreference indicate similar parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a completed article, in this instancea puff, constructed in accordance with our invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section of a portion of the article made inaccordance with our invention; and

Figures 3 to 8 inclusive show a means in successive steps of operationexemplifying the method of manufacture of the present invention.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing,and referring initially to Figure 3, a lower die I is provided having anupper blank-receiving cavity ll substantially the size and shape of thepile fabric or other blank 12 for forming the face and body,

portion of the article being made. The cavity provides a peripheralmarginal bottom ledge I3 on which the corresponding marginal portion ofthe blank I! will rest, and in operation the operator places the blankon this ledge in this cavity which thereby positions the blank properlyfor subsequent operations.

At the bottom of said cavity, centrally thereof, is a cylindricalpassage Id of less diameter than said cavity. A plunger I5 is arrangedto engage the upper surface of the blank and force it to the bottom ofthe passage, as shown done in Figure 4. It will be observed that theblank is placed in the cavity with the facing, or in this instance pilesurface, directed downwardly and that the plunger engages the back ofthe fabric or other material constituting said blank which ultimatelywill be at the inside of the finished article. Inasmuch as the blank islarger in diameter than the passage M, the peripheral margin of theblank is turned up, cup shape, as the plunger pushes it downward.

The lower end of passage id is undercut or peripherally enlarged, as atl6, and when the blank reaches that level there is a tendency for thebent peripheral edge to relieve the bending stain by an expansionlaterally into said enlargement thereby tending to slope the circularedge of the blank inward toward the plunger. The expansion of the blankand, in the selected embodiment, of pile or the like into theenlargement is ample to retain the blank in the bottom of the passage asthe plunger is raised as shown done in Figure 5. Removal of the plungerresults in the edge of the blank assuming substantially the inturnedposition illustrated due largely to the presence of the basalenlargement l6 of the passage.

If the article is to .be made with a filler, such as padding, sachet orpowder contained therein, this is the stage of operation at which suchfiller is inserted. Illustrative thereof powder I! as the filler isshown in Figure 2, but since the article may be made without powder orother filler therein and for this reason and for greater clarity in thedrawing, no filler is shown in the article in Figures 6 and 7 but isshown in the larger illustration of Figure 2 only.

The article top or closure 18 is next applied within passage M upon theinturned marginal edge of the blank. As shown, this top piece is enoughsmaller than the passage so it will readily assume its place and yet besubstantially centered with respect to the formed blank in the die. Theunder face or back of the top piece or closure I8 is coated with amaterial 19 which is rendered adhesive upon application of heat theretoand may for brevity be referred to as thermoadhesive. An upper die 20substantially the diameter of the passage and article top piece orclosure I8 is now brought down with compressive force on the margin ofthe top piece overlying the inturned marginal rim of the fac ing or pilemember.

The upper die 20 is suitably heated and as exemplary thereof the drawinggives indication of electrical heater wires 2! around the marginalportion of the lower part of the die. The lower face of the die issuitably shaped to properly perform its function and is preferablyhollowed out at the middle part of its underside, as at 22, so that onlythe marginal portion engages the puff. Consequently the middle portionof the article members are not sealed together by the thermoadhesivewhereas the heat and pressure of the die will be effective to obtainadhesion of the rim margin of the top or closure member I8 to theupwardly-inwardly turned margin of the facing, and in the instance showncompresses the pile under said rim margin of the top member. For purposeof clarity in the selected embodiment to indicate presence of the pilebetween its base material and the closure member IB in the completedarticle-both Figures 2 and 7 exaggerate considerably the ultimatethickness of pile affected by the adhesive. In actual practice the pilesubjected to adhesion with the top piece is pressed flat, orsubstantially so. The bottom face of the die 28 may be shaped to embossthe top or closure member l8, as at 23, the depressed portion of theembossing being utilized to obtain an especially firm compressionthereunder to assure adhesion next the inturned edge of the face memberI2.

The lower die I0 preferably opens or separates, on a vertical diametricplane 24, for obtaining convenient removal of the completed article. Thehinging of the die sections is indicated at 25 in Figure 8. A suitablesemi-automatic latch 26, that is, one which will snap in locked positionwhen the die sectionsclose together, but which is readily unlatched whenthe operator desires to open the die, is provided at the front of saiddie sections opposite said hinge. Opening the die in this manner enablesthe operator to remove the article laterally to the die cavity and thensnap the die closed again ready for repeating the cycle of operationsabove outlined.

After the article is removed from the die, its curled or rounded edgehas a tendency to straighten out, and as a result the face or body ofthe face member and the top member assume the more distant or openrelation shown in Figure 2, with the edge of the face member rounded andevenly fiuffy. The spaced condition of the face and top members givesthe desired soft and downy feeling to the article. The rounded part ofthe article at the edge has no double thicknesses or seams and isaccordingly soft and fluffy and forms an unbroken surface just like theunder surface or face of the article.

Since the various details of construction as well as the precise stepsin the described procedure and method of manufacture are subject tovariation and change without departing from the inventive concept orscope of the invention, it is intended that all the matter contained in.the specification or illustrated in the drawing shall be interpreted asexemplary and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood thatthe following claims are intended to cover all of the generic andspecific features of the invention herein shown and described and allstatements of the scope of the invention herein set forth as a matter oflanguage which might be said to fall therebetween.

We claim:

1. A puff or the like comprising a face member having a peripheralinwardly curled edge forming a cup-shaped body, and a closure disposedover the opening of said body and spaced from the front of said body andadhered to the said edge at a distance inwardly of the periphery of theclosure, the curl thereby having a tendency to straighten out in orderto urge the said spacing.

2. A puff or the like comprising a face memher having a peripheralinwardly curled edge forming a cup-shaped body, a closure disposed overthe opening of said body and spaced from the front of said body andadhered to the said edge at a distance inwardly of the periphery, thecurl thereby having a tendency to straighten out in order to urge thesaid spacing, and a free marginal edge portion on said closure extendingoutwardly of the line of adhesion and terminating short of the peripheryof the puff.

3. A method of making articles of the general character of powder puffscomprising cup shaping a piece of facing material, sloping the up-turnedcup-shaped edge inwardly to an extent that it will be expansible infinal form, and adhering a top closure thereto on a line inwardly oi theperiphery of the latter on said inwardly sloping edge.

4. A method of making articles of the general "character of powder pufiscomprising cup shaping a piece of facing material, sloping the upturnedcup-shaped edge inwardly as an inturned rim to an extent that it will beexpansible in final form, superposing a top member to overlap said rim,said top member having thermoadhesive therein, and applying pressure andheat to the top member on a line inwardly of the periphery of the latterWhere juxtaposed on said rim and sealing the space within said facingmaterial and top member by means arranged wholly exteriorly of thematerial without interior cooperating means and removable wholly fromthe completed article without puncturing the same.

JOSEPH E. VALENTINE.

RAFAEL J. PEFIA.

